NEW HAVEN >> While state Treasurer Denise Nappier didn’t attend a scheduled debate with her challenger Tuesday night, Nappier said she is willing to participate in one.

Nappier, a Democrat, cited “personal reasons” for not attending the debate against Republican opponent Tim Herbst in Hartford.

In a meeting Wednesday with the Register editorial board, Nappier declined to elaborate on the reason she did not attend the debate, saying again only that it was “personal.”

That debate was sponsored by the Hartford Votes Coalition, and despite Nappier’s absence, Herbst, first selectman of Trumbull, participated and answered questions from the public who attended.

“I like debating, and I have debated other opponents,” Nappier said. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it.”

When asked if there will be a debate before the election, Rose Ryan, Nappier’s campaign spokeswoman, said she reached out Tuesday to the League of Women Voters of Connecticut to try to arrange one.

The league indicated Wednesday that other than an initial email from Ryan, there are no firm arrangements for any debate.

In its email response to Ryan, the league expressed a willingness to help, but called it “short notice,” and asked Ryan if she has any date or venue in mind.

JR Romano, a spokesman for Herbst’s campaign, said Wednesday “not a single entity has reached out to us,” about setting up a different debate.

“We sent a request in August for debates, and haven’t heard a word from her,” Romano said. “Here is our concern — it is 28 days before the election, so this seems like smoke and mirrors. She has had requests from media to participate in debates. We would love to have a debate.”

On Wednesday, Nappier said she is seeking re-election because she believes the state’s citizens and businesses “deserve someone with proven leadership to manage our financial resources.”

Herbst has said he would ask for less power as the person responsible for overseeing pension investments.

Nappier in contrast, said, “I don’t believe a decision made by a board is better than a decision made by an individual.”

Nappier said there is oversight from the Investment Advisory Council. A process is in place to prevent a bad investment decision, she said.

“Each step has to be disclosed,” Nappier said. “There is rigorous due diligence performed before a recommendation is made.”

When asked about the health of the pension funds, Nappier said she has proposed efforts to strengthen funding and has sounded an alarm about unfunded pension liability.

“I can only invest what I get,” she said. “We have placed the teachers’ pension fund on a solid path.”

In August, Nappier said the state’s two largest pension funds, the Teachers’ Retirement Fund and the State Employees’ Retirement Fund, posted net investment returns of 15.67 percent and 15.62 percent, respectively, for the fiscal year ended June 30. The two pension funds had a joint total value of about $26.7 billion as of June 30, a net increase of $3 billion over the prior fiscal year, she said.

Herbst has said the state should consider increasing the retirement age.

When asked about her stance on this issue, Nappier noted she doesn’t sit at the bargaining table with unions.

“It should be looked at periodically,” Nappier said, noting that life expectancy continues to improve. “I hope we all continue to live longer. As for the pension age, we should put it on the table and look at it.”

If re-elected, Nappier said she will continue to “empower young people by helping them realize the dream of a college education,” and she cited the Connecticut Higher Education Trust or CHET program, a college savings program.

“We have revamped the program so it is affordable, accessible and transparent,” Nappier said.

The program’s assets have grown to $2.5 billion, with more than 100,000 accounts, according to Nappier.

Millions of dollars in unclaimed assets are just waiting to be claimed. These include assets like savings or checking accounts, uncashed checks, matured certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds or mutual funds, travelers’ checks or money orders, and proceeds from life insurance policies. The unclaimed assets fall under the treasurer’s jurisdiction, according to the office’s website.

When questioned about her efforts to return these assets to their rightful owners, Nappier noted the Connecticut State Treasury Unclaimed Property list is available online at www.ctbiglist.com.

For the fiscal year ended June 30 the unclaimed property division returned $64 million to 20,897 rightful owners, according to the treasurer’s office. The website includes $615 million in unclaimed property.

“We do have an outreach program and try to get the word out to the media,” Nappier said. “It can be a tedious process to claim it, but we have to make sure the person is the rightful owner. We have returned more money in the last five years than in the past 80 years, and we are proud of that record. People can always claim their assets, in perpetuity.”